Sandboxing troubles: MPlayerX leaves Mac App Store

The developer of MplayerX is quitting the Mac App Store over Apple’s sandboxing rules (hat tip to Slashdot), which are supposed to provide additional security by limiting what kind of system resources apps have access to. Zongyao QU, whose application is based on the Linux video player MPlayer, announced on his site that the step comes after “arguing with Apple over three months.” His post read, in part:

“Sandboxing, although said to be a good protection from the malware, brings too many troubles to the applications themselves. I have made 6 builds trying to make MPlayerX pass Apple’s review and I have explained why some privileges are so important for MPlayerX to achieve this and that features, But the answer is NO, NO, NO, NO, NO and NO.”

The sandboxed app store version of MPlayerX wouldn’t be able to automatically load subtitle files, according to its developer.

Some of the MplayerX features affected by Apple’s sandboxing rules include the ability to automatically load subtitles and automatically play the next episode of a TV show, he explained.

QU said that version 1.0.16, which was released a few days ago, won’t come to the app store anymore. He will still try to make version 1.0.15 via the Mac App Store, but said that it will be a “limited-function version.”

This isn’t the first app to disappear from the Mac App Store over Apple’s sandboxing rules. Apple originally wanted to introduce mandatory sandboxing last November, but then twice delayed the deadline. Sandboxing eventually became mandatory on June 1. The move resulted in Postbox and other apps leaving the App Store, and prompted Instapaper developer Marco Arment to ask:

“How many good apps will be pulled from the App Store before Apple cares?”